Ministering to the Young Single Adult - Elmer Towns

Counseling has many approaches: clinical counseling, nondirective counseling,eclectic counseling, or inductive counseling. These are all valid services but are usuallyreserved for the trained pastor, youth worker or professional person in the church. Thesepeople should be used to counsel with the young single adult in the church. Also, whenthe personal problems are beyond the capacity of church leaders, the young single adultshould be referred to a professional counselor. Some problems in their lives cannot behandled by the average trained church worker, much less the layman, but there are manyyoung single adults in the church who can receive help from church leaders or othermature Christians. Helping the average young single person with average problems is thepoint of this chapter.A spiritual ministry is relating the gospel to persons at the point of their need.Therefore, the point of this chapter deals with establishing a spiritual ministry to theaverage problems of the average young single adult.When we think of helping young people solve personal problems, we usuallythink of counseling. In our society, counseling has become a very technical service. Thequalified counselor must undergo intensive theoretical and clinical training. Thecounseling process is usually more than a talking, listening session, but rather a deepinter-personal relationship resulting in therapy for the counselee. This chapter emphasizesthe spiritual ministry which many are able to do. Spiritual ministry is not something yougive to young single adults or you even do for young single adults. Spiritual ministry iswhat you are. Too often we tell people how their problems can be solved. We give themthe answer. Some feel problems can be solved if they quote the right Bible passages tothose with problems. The attitude is, “If we tell them the right words, they are helped.”However, a talk approach is not always effective. Paul understood spiritual ministry asmore than talking to people. “We were gentle among you... willing to have imparted untoyou, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls because you were dear unto us”(I Thess. 2:7, 8). Here Paul indicates telling the Thessalonians the truth of the gospel wasnot enough. He had to give them his own life-his own soul. This is the first step towardspiritual ministry.Some counselors become problem-centered in attempting to help people. Theemphasis should really be people-centered. Of course, people have problems. Thecounselor who is concerned with problems may not be concerned with the person whohas them. But the counselor who is concerned with people will be concerned with theirproblems.Our task simply stated is helping another person analyze and solve his problems.There are two basic approaches to solving problems taken from the world of medicine.1. Bandaids. The bandaid approach is giving advice to an immediate problemthat is surface in nature. A bandaid has a twofold function: one, to give immediate help;two, to protect from future infection. The bandaid approach emphasizes the present ratherthan the future. When the young single adult comes and desires advice, the bandaidapproach may be best. Here a counselor in all good conscience communicates the bestanswer, in keeping with an understanding of the problem. Some people believe if you